Ballmer: It's Called Windows 8 And It's Coming In 2012*

At a developers' conference in Japan, Steve Ballmer revealed two
points about the next version of Windows.

It's called Windows 8 -- at least now -- and it's coming out in
2012.

He also reiterated that it's going to show up on tablets and
slates, as well as traditional PCs.

Here's what he said:

And yet, as we look forward to the next generation of Windows
systems, which will come out next year, there's a whole lot more
coming. As we progress through the year, you ought to expect to
hear a lot about Windows 8. Windows 8 slates, tablets, PCs, a
variety of different form factors.

None of this is really surprising -- Microsoft has been talking
about the next version of Windows since January, when it
announced that it would run on the ARM processors found in most
tablets (and smartphones) today. But it's the first time an exec
has officially confirmed that name and the 2012 ship date.

*Update: Apparently not even the CEO of
Microsoft is allowed to speak out of turn about the next release
of the company's flagship product. A company spokesperson just
sent us the following:

"It appears there was a misstatement. We are eagerly
awaiting the next generation of Windows 7 hardware that will be
available in the coming fiscal year. To date, we have yet
to formally announce any timing or naming for the next version of
Windows."